Sliding-door support.



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'. Patentedfiept. 25

INVENTOR ATTORNEY LUTHER VIRGIL DUKE, 0F PINE BLUFF, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR HENRY M. DIAL, OF KEDRQN, ARKANSAS.

DIE ONE-HALF T0 SLIDING-DOOR SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 28, 1916. Serial No. 94,180.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER V. DUKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pine Blufl, in the county of Jefferson and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Sliding-Door Support, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved sliding door support adapted particularly for use with freight car doors, and has for an object to provide a support of this nature which not only holds the door suspended against the side of the car, and admits of the easy sliding of the, same into open and closed positions, but which also secures the door to the side of the car, so that the door cannot be accidentally dis lodged from the car and lost, as is frequently the case when the present day structures are used.

It is another object of the invention to provide a rail to receive thereon the wheels which are carried by the door and to support the door and admit of the easy sliding thereof, and to provide a second rail or.

guide,'which is placed out of the way above the first rail, and which passes through the hangers carrying the wheels to positively hold the hangers in place and prevent them from upward movement and displacement from the -1na1n'support1ng rail.

The invention has for a further object to provide a novel construction of upper and lower rails; a novel construction of hanger to receive the upper rail'therethrough, and inclose it at all sides to prevent the jumping of the hanger from the lower supporting rail, or the disengagement of the hanger, from'thc rail 111 any d1rect1on;- a novel bracket or support for the ends of the rails to holdthem against the'side of the""car body: a protecting strip or cap carried by the brackcts across the outer sideof the door; a peculiar arrangement of these parts whereby but one set of bolts, .or securing" members are necessary for holding the protecting neans,and'the brackets to thecar body, :and the rail ends to the brackets.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal enlarged sectional view, taken vertically through the same, and looking outwardly toward the door.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section, taken on the line 33 of Fig. l,'and showing the mounting of the rails against the side of the car, and the position of the door hanger, the door being closed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line l4 of Fig. 1, showing the rails mounted in one of the brackets.

Fig. 5 is a'detail perspective view of the double track.

Fig. 6 is a detail enlarged perspective view of one of the hangers.

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views of the brackets engaging and supporting the double rail. r

Referring to this drawing, wherein like parts are designated by similar numerals of reference throughout the several views, 10 designates the side of a car, which is shown in the present instance as a freight car, and which may be of any other type than the one shown.

The side 10 has the usual door opening 11, which is closed by a door 12, of the usual construction. Arranged in horizonta.llyspaced relation against the side 10 of the car is a pair of brackets l3 and 14. Each of these brackets comprises a fiat plate of metal, or of wood, which engages the side 10 at one edge, and which preferably has its lower outer corner beveled off. The brackets 13 and 14 are also provided with upper and lower" openings 15 extending edgewisethrough the'brackets and registering with correspondingly formed openings in Patented Sept. 25, rear.

' .the side 10 of the car. From Fig. 1 it will .be noted that the bracket 13 is arranged adjacent one edge of the door opening 11, while the opposite bracket 14 is spaced considerably beyond the opposite edgeof the door opening.

In Fig. a double rail is shown. The

' double rail com rises a lower rail 16 and an upper rail 17. hese rails are held in vertically spaced apart relation by virtue of their integral formation from a single plate or strip of metal, the ends of the rails at one end of the strip being joined by a stop block '18 which comprises the end of the double rail. This block 18 is adapted to seat in a socket 19 formed in the bracket 13. The

slot formed transversely into two slots 20 "formed transversely through the bracket 14 and of the required size to snugly receive the ends of the rails .16 and 17 to hold the same in spaced apart relation. From Figs. 2, 7 and 8, it will be noted that the openings 15 pass through the sockets 19 and 20. The opposite ends of the double .rail are provided with openings 21", which register with these openings 15.

it spacing strip- 21 is secured against the side 10 between the brackets 13 and 14,

and extends across the top of the opening 11. The spacing strip 21 has its lower edge flush with the lower edge of the rail 16, but is of a height less than-the height of the rail, so as to allow the latter to project upwardly and freely in spaced relation from the side 10. A door cap or protecting strip 22 is .secured across the outer edges "of the brackets 13 and 14 and extends downwardly in slightly overlapped relation to the door 12. This cap strip 22 is held in place by a pair of bolts 23 passing inwardly through each end of the strip 22, through the openings 15 in the brackets 13 and 14, through the openings 21 in the opposite ends of the double rail, through the side 10 of the car, and finally through a reinforcing strip or board 24 carried against the inner wall of the car. Clamping nuts, or the like, are mounted on the inner ends of these bolts 23 to bind them through all of said members, so as to hold all of the same in position by the employment, of but these four bolts.

H In orderto "steady the lower rail 16 against the spacing strip 21, and to hold the latter in place, a row of relatively small bolts 25 are passed inwardly through the rail 16 adjacent its lower edge, through the spacing strip 21, the side 10 of thecar, and finally through the reinforcing strip or board 24. Nuts, or the like, secure these "bolts inbinding relation through the lower track and the spacing strip.

The door 12 is mounted upon a pair of hangers, one hanger'near each end of the door. As shown-in Fig. 6, each han er comprises a strap 26 whioh is secured flat against the outer side of the door 12 by bolts, or the like, "as; shown, and which projects .upwardly beyond the top of the door. The upper end of the strap is bent inwardly above the door to rovide a flat top 27, and is then extended ownwa rdly to provide a depending flange or rear wall 28. Webs 29 are arranged in horizontally spaced apart relation beneath the top 27 and extend longitudinally thereof to provide a longitudinal channel or passage through the top of the hanger of sufficient size to receive therethrough'the upper rail 17. The upper portion of the strap 26 is provided with a ver-.

tically extending T-shaped opening 30, and

the flange 28 has a vertically extending T- shaped opening 31 arranged in transverse relation to the opening 30, the opening 31 terminating or opening through the lower edge of the flange.

The upper horizontal portions of these T-shaped openings comprise bearings or sockets in their opposite ends to receive the 3 ends of a pin 32 upon which is mounted a supporting wheel 33. The wheel 33 has lateral retaining flanges or checks 34, which project upwardly between the webs 29 and which lie against the opposite sides of the guide rail 17 to entirely inclose the latter. The groovedhub .portion of the wheel 33 rests upon the upper free edge of the rail 16 to thus support the hanger and the door secured thereto.

The upper rail 17 constitutes a guide rail,

"as it passes entirely through the upper end of the hanger, and at the same timeprevents the hanger from moving either-upwardly or laterally to an extent which would displace the wheel 33 from the lower supporting rail 16. The hangers can only be removed from the double rail by removing the double rail itself from either the bracket 14, or both of the brackets 13 and 14. The parts are, therefore, positively interlocked when 1 in place, and thedoor cannot possibly be accidentally removed from the side of the car, and at the same time it is..free to be moved back and forth into open and closed positions. Y

The T-shaped slots in the opposite walls of the hanger admit of the easy and quick assembling of the pin 32 and its wheel 33 in of the wheel between the webs 29, at the same time the innerend'of theepin 32 enters the lower end of the slot 31. When the Wheel or roller is raised into its highest position, the ends of the pin register with the horizontal portions of the slots and lateral into the hanger, the lower rail 16 passing beneath the wheel 33, while the upper rail 17 is engaged over the wheel 33 between the webs 29.

4 tening devices which are usedfor holding.

The bolts 23 constitute sets or pairs of fasthe cap or protecting strip 22 in place against the brackets 13 and 14, for securing the brackets themselves against the side 10 of the car, and for holding the double track in place in the brackets. This-peculiar assembling of parts admits of the quick removaland positioning of these bolts 23, and so placesthe parts that these sets of bolts only are necessary for rigidly securing the track brackets and cap strip in place.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with the side of a car having an opening therein, a door for closing the opening and a hanger on the door,

' of a unitary track comprising a pair of verfrom the car and having sockets in their sides for the reception of the rail ends, and

bolts passing through the brackets, ends of said rails and said car whereby the rails are secured to the brackets and the brackets to the car by the same bolts.

2. The combination with the side of a car having an opening therein, a door for closing the opening and a hanger on the door,

of a rail to support and hold the hanger in place, vertically arranged brackets at each end of the rail projecting at right angles from the car and having sockets through their sides for the reception of said rail ends, and bolts passing through the brackets, ends of said rails and said cal" whereby the rails are detachably and rigidly secured to the brackets and the brackets to the car by the same bolts.

3. In a sliding door support, a pair of brackets having sockets therethrough adapted to be positioned against the side of a car and projecting beyond the same at right angles thereto, a supporting rail having its opposite ends detachably mounted in said sockets, a door cap detachably mounted at its ends against the outer faces of said brackets in spaced relation from the side of the car and from said rail, and bolts extending inwardly through said cap, said brackets, said rail and through the side of the car, whereby all of said elements ,are secured to the side of the car by the same bolts. p

4. Tube-combination with the side of a car having an opening therein, a door for closing the opening, hangers carried by the door, a supporting rail mounted onthe side of the car above the door for engagement by the hangers to support the door, vertically arranged brackets for supporting the ends of the rail, said' brackets being secured to the car and at right angles from the car and projecting beyond the rail, the hangers and the door, and a door cap consisting of a board set on edge and connecting the outer edges of the brackets and of-a widthto overlap said rail and the hangers at the top, and the top of the door at the bottom, said cap and brackets constituting a closure open at the top and bottom.

. 5. The combination with a side of a car having an opening therein, a door for closing the opening, and hangers mounted on the door for suspending the same, of a pair of vertically arranged brackets spaced apart longitudinally against the side of the car and projecting at right angles therefrom, a rail mounted at its ends in the sides of the brackets between their edges and engaged by said hangers, a door cap secured across the outer edges of said brackets in spaced relation from the hangers and from the rail,

said cap being of a width to overlap at its bottom edge the top of said door and at its upper edge to project above the hangers and bolts for securing said cap and brackets to the car. I

6. In a sliding door support, a support ing rail, a guard rail arranged above the latter, means for mounting said rails upon the side of a car adjacent the door opening, hangers carried by the car door, each hanger having webs arranged in spaced relation beneath the top of the hanger to provide a channel for the guard rail, and leave a space on each side of the latter, and a. wheel carried by each hanger with a hub portion to ride upon the supporting rail, and cheeks arranged to work on opposite sides of the guard rail in the spaces between the latter and said webs.

7. In a sliding door support, a hanger having a closed top, front and rear Walls,

and webs extending longitudinally beneath porting rail, a hanger having front, rear and top walls and-longitudinally extending webs beneath the top and being spaced apart upwardly at, opposite sides of the guard rail '10 from said front and rear walls and from and between said webs. each other, said hanger being open at its In testimony that I claim the foregoing opposite ends to receive said guard rail beas my own, I have hereto aflixed my signatween the webs, and'a roller mounted in the time in the. presence of two witnesses.

hanger having a hub portion bearing on said a LUTHER VIRGIL DUKE. supporting rail to suspend the hanger and Witnesses:

having cheeks overlapping the opposite G. T. CALDWELL,

sides of the supporting rail and extending J. F. WEST.

copies or this patent may be obtained tor five cents each, by addressing the icomminioner of latest.

Washington, 11.0. I 

